Confinement - MaxRide Fanfic Pilot
by Lady of Archangels
Summary: What would you do? What would you feel? How far would you go? How hard would you fight? For the freedom in which has always been claimed?
1. Confinement

Shadows slithered along the dull gray walls of the corridor, footsteps echoing off of the linoleum floors. A short, young geneticist fiddled nervously with his glasses while staring at his clipboard. There, stapled beneath the clip, lie a packet of papers…results. Another strode carefully in front of him, leading themselves to a certain room. It was guarded by a thick and heavy metal door, multiple locks and only few had access inside.

"How did Subject 8 fair?" The young man asked; puzzled by the printed information he was reading. "This doesn't make any sense…"

"It faired unusually well," The leading white-coat replied, he stopped in front of the door and gazed distantly through the thick center placed window. "Its output was off the charts. No such thing has ever been seen nor recorded before. Well, except for one…but it never survived." They both stared at what was inside. Behind the claimed invincible one-way glass window, was a person. A female, no more than 15, dressed in a white hospital gown, with long brown hair that curled along the floor. The girl had sickly, pale skin from lack of nourishment…she stared at the opposite wall with a pained expression.

"How long will it stay?" The first asked warily, "Nothing good has come from it since it arrived."

"Dover, you know that they won't take her-it back. Trust me, we'll just run a few more tests over the next few months and maybe let those…things have it." The second geneticist turned with a careless wave of his hand. "It'll either prove to be a successful recombinant or a complete failure over that time period." The first, Dover, relaxed slightly, but couldn't resist the temptation of asking one more question. He followed the first down the hall.

"What would that make today then?" The first stopped, then, slowly turned with a look of defeat.

"The fact that its results were so far off the charts could mean things of catastrophic outcomes in the future. Unless we find a way to stabilize or draw these enormous bursts from it, the only thing left to do is annihilate it completely."

"What if it gets free?"

"Then, if there is a God, help us all."

"The test was completed with flying colors." Intoned a white-coat; she was older, around the age of thirty. She carried a list of results from the few of many, many tests that went into plan 36 hours ago. Her once neat bun was a mess and bags were under her eyes. Beside her there walked a few others, who wheeled a stretcher with someone on it. It was the girl; she hurriedly sipped through a tube they offered her before pulling the water away. Her breaths were heavy and labored, and ferocious dark circles shadowed her eyes. The female scientist watched with disgust, 'Such a pathetic creature…' she voiced inwardly. The stretcher guided the group through double doors into a blinding white room.

"Is the operating table prepared?" She asked, not caring either way. All that mattered was finding a way to harness that thing's power, that's all it was good for.

"Yes ma'am, shouldn't we put her under anesthesia before we do this?" One scientist asked. They picked her up as if she were made of glass and laid her onto the cold, unforgiving metal. Disgusting.

"Why should we dose it? It's a thing, it doesn't feel." The woman replied coldly, as if the girl weren't existent. The girl shifted, tears beginning to stream down her face as a scientist withdrew a large needle. "Let's get this over with so I can go get some coffee." The female approached with quick footsteps before pinning the subject's head to the side of the table and dabbing her neck with a sterilizing agent. She started to thrash and whimpered as she clenched her teeth and gripped the sides of the table with enough force to break her fingers. "Hold it steady!" she yelled. The scientists scrambled, one pinning her shoulders and the other holding her ankles. The older woman bit the plastic tip off the needle before plunging it into the vein of the girl's neck. Her mouth opened in a silent scream but only a small cry bubbled up. Blood filled the tube and eventually, her struggled thrashing ceased all together. The group breathed hard as procedure drew to a close. The woman withdrew the needle and ran her fingers through her messed hair and sighed, "It's done. Throw it back in confinement." She turned to leave the room before halting.  
"Oh and…," she began behind without turning her head, "…clip it's wings. Prepare it for the final phase."


	2. Dreams of Liberation

_The wind caressed my skin, played with my hair, sang my freedom…I looked on in familiarity at the valley that lie before my very eyes._

_This dream…I knew it all before, down to every last detail. It haunted me. Every time I closed my eyes…_

_"Come with me…" a voice whispered, clearly belonging to a male. I looked on; the trees swayed gently in the breeze, the tall grass tickling my arms and legs. No needles, no restraints or clamps…no pain. Snowcapped mountains rose like beautiful jagged teeth out of the Earth, surrounding me. Below, a crystal blue lake rippled with each gust, fed by hidden waterfalls and flowing into distant rivers. An icy chill whipped up and down my spine, thrilling my senses and ruffling my feathers._

_This dream…it seemed so faint, yet felt so real. It was my escape, it was my delusion. I heard the voice once more, enlightening me, urging me to take the daring step. As always, I did…  
"Come with me…" I stepped forward, feeling the desperate oppressive grasps of my nightmarish reality fall away. Without a word, I breathed in…deep and powerful. Then, I unfurled my wings. A sense of euphoria brought a honey slow smile to my face. Another breath in and…I leaped upward, the muscles in my shoulders and back working effortlessly. A stronger gust of wind lifted me, my wings catching them like beautiful brown sails. Higher, higher, and higher I flew, swirling and spiraling until I felt as though I could touch the sky…_

_Then, a wave of brutal agony battered into me like a ram…and then I was falling, falling. The sky was no longer blue, but a blood red…the ground blackened by violent swarms of…hideous creatures. Their teeth glinting, their eyes gleaming ferociously, ready to bear down on top of me; ready to rip me to shreds. I couldn't cry, I couldn't fight, I was paralyzed with agony, plummeting into the mob of hungry demons, and then suddenly…darkness._

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_Wake up. Wake. Up. You have to wake up…please._

A gasp clawed its way into my lungs, I sputtered and coughed, the stale air shackling me back to reality.

_It was only just a dream…._

The very thought disappointed me, only increasing my longing for it to be true. Pain was the only greeter, piercing every limb, every joint, and every fiber of my being to the point that death would be more than just a euphoric relief. I was afraid to open my eyes, I was afraid to see what horrors they left etched on my body. _How much more could I take?_ Drawing in a breath, I clenched my teeth. My head pounded; the hum of electricity above me only made the sensation worsen. Quickly, I pried my eyelids apart; but the blinding fluorescent lights only screwed them shut once more. I cringed as my headache worsened, trembling from the excruciation. Breathing in, and exhaling out, I tried once more. Tears filtered from the corners of my eyes as I slowly, oh so slowly, opened them. Blinking furiously, I struggled to clear the haze from my vision. Everything was blurred and spun lazily with each movement, inducing stomach-turning vertigo. Shuddering, I turned my head left to right, it felt as if stones were grinding and bowling around in my skull. Each collision making movement all the more unbearable. The first thing I realized was that I was back in my confinement cell. The white reinforced walls, floor, and ceiling tonelessly greeted me. I'm pretty sure if I stayed long enough; I'd blend in with how pasty and ailed my skin looked. My neck stung from where that…devil woman stuck me. She was in charge of a branch of experimentation facilities, ours included. If you ask me, the only thing she was in charge of was being the biggest, heartless **bi**…female dog Hell spat out. I sighed, my limbs itching to move and stretch, but when I tried to shift…I couldn't move. A wave of panic settled over me as I started to struggle. After minutes of failure, I paused and searched frantically for the source of my imprisonment and discovered my wrists and ankles were bound in coarse metal coils. _No. __**Oh no.**_ Gritting my teeth, I thrashed more violently, whimpering pathetically as the coils constricted and dug into my skin.

_Maybe if I opened them..._

As I rolled my shoulder joints, a sickening pop echoed off the walls, leaving me crying and writhing in pain. Wrong move. Throwing my head back, I craned my neck and blinked away the tears. There. Beside me. My wing lay at full forced span, grasped by steel metal clamps. I furrowed my brow as every primary feather was nearly half its' size. _They clipped my wings..._  
Each brown feather bloodied, throbbing, and jagged at the edge. Snapping my head to the left, the other suffered in the same condition, given the exception that it splayed at and awkward angle. Dislocated. I dropped my head to the cold surface of the surgical table, wailing in horror...in pure agony. Closing my eyes, I surrendered the fight of the stinging tears that weren't even coming. Embittered at what they had done to me...to all the experiments. As time passed on, something sudden struck me. Something that dissipated my pain, and ushered in an anger, kindled a raging fire like an animal reborn. The animal roared to life, clawing at my ribs, fighting to be freed. I gradually lifted my head, the pain suddenly vanishing as a torrent of thoughts began to explode in my conscience. The thoughts began to toll as clear as beautiful bells, and left my heart pumping with newfound motivation.

I was going to fight.

I was going to break out of this Hell.

**I. Will. Be. Free.**


	3. Escapee

Sirens began to wail obnoxiously in the distance, and even as I dashed I could still hear the Erasers bashing on the solidly frozen door. Exceptionally, it held its own, but each dent laden with every strike could easily result in its demise. I kept sprinting…I didn't want to stop. I couldn't. Every sharp stick and jagged rock I stumbled on? Each low hanging branch and briar patch shredding me to ribbons? Not the slightest bit. The acerbity roiling in my gut and the motivation burning in my heart was all I needed to keep trooping. Regardless of the pain, regardless of the weakness. A yelp of surprise leapt passed my lips as I tripped over a fallen tree trunk. The ungainliness sent me rolling down a steep hill into the icy waters of a creek. A shiver crept through my skin as the water soaked into my mangled gown. Grasping a nearby root, I hoisted myself back up, and continued my retreat down the little trickle of water. My vicissitude only worsened as a sudden crash echoed in the distance, my body freezing on the spot. Muscles taught; I searched frantically for any movement. I only heard bone chilling snarls at first, and then…shadows cavorted in the forest, headed my way. I bolted once more, travelling down the creek before finding my footing at a distant bank.

Sweat dripped from my forehead, cooling the heat that congregated within. A voice roared, with stomach turning close proximity…

"**THERE IT IS**!" A bullet whistled by my head, confirming my never ending nightmares. _No, no, no, No, NO!_ I panted with more ferocity, pushing beyond my limits as an Eraser snapped his jaws, sliding to one side as he began his chase.

"Here piggy, piggy…" he laughed darkly, gnashing his teeth loudly. "I just wanna chew on your neck!" Sweeping up a nearby branch, the bark frosted over as I twisted and hurled it.

"**Chew on this**!" _Wham!_ The mutant dog caught a mouthful of wood and tripped over his own paws in the process, yowling oddly. I couldn't help but laugh out loud. Several more Erasers called out, the race for my life dragging on. Veering sharply to the right to avoid another open maw, I ripped up another branch from the ground. As I chucked my club, though, a sharp, piercing sensation permeated my right shoulder. Another grazing my left side; _I was shot_. I choked a gasp, losing my footing and tumbling over the exposed roots. A cry bubbled to my lips as I landed on my hurt wing. I crawled on my belly, struggling to regain my footing…but suddenly a large clawed hand pressed me fiercely into the ground. "Ow! Watch it!" The hand flipped me over before finding its place around my neck, a pained expression on my face as the Eraser began to crush my windpipe. He lifted me off the ground as if I were made of nothing, and pinned me against the trunk. Grunting, I clawed at his fingers, trying to pry them from me. Others gathered with sickening satisfaction.

"I don't care if that bitch wants you alive; this is a score to settle between you—and me. I wanna see the light leave your eyes." The lead smirked, his posse mocking the expression. All of them twitching with bloodlust.

"Unngh!" I groaned, barely able to form the words…"Wh…what—d-did I…errgh, ever do…to you?" For a brief moment, his expression faltered before taking on a much darker tone. When he spoke, his voice was much lower, and much more menacing.

"You were born." A cry stifled in my throat as his grasp tightened, desperately reaching out to grab whatever I could strike him with. My vision began to cloud, white specks exploding…but I felt my fingers wrap halfway around something cold, round, and solid. A rock! I muttered like an idiot as my lungs crumpled from lack of air, and I faked my body going limp. The would-be murderer paused, his grip lessening slightly as he lowered me to the ground. "Told ya." He growled, drawing closer to the ground and flicking an ear close to my lips. Still holding the rock, my eyes snapped open,

"Go to Hell!" I screeched as I brought the stone against Dog boy's temple. Hard. He jumped back, howling angrily and clutching his bloodied temple with one hand while swinging his meat cleaving claws at me with the other.

"I'll skewer you, you WENCH!" He shrieked. The others started for me as I rolled out from under him and dashed through a thick patch of brush. I'd had my fun, now I was frantically searching for the light at the end of the tunnel. Gunshots echoed like thunder all around me. It was disorienting. _Wait. You're a bird! Just flap! Glide! You can still make it with clipped wings!_ Feral snarls rippled from behind me; here they come again…angry insults and threats emanated from my right. Ignoring the pain, I unfurled my wings and flapped with enough force to knock down a grown man. An almost pleasuring relieving sensation struck my left wing as it popped back into place. Another hard down stroke, I was barely off the ground but when my feet pounded the earth I was several feet further. _Yes! Keep going. Keep Going!_ A smile began to spread as I burst into a clearing at the edge of the forest, but faltered as a buzzing fence towered unnaturally above the trees. I skid to a halt, feeling the searing heat as electricity flowed with enough lethality to euthanize a Tyrannosaurus Rex. One Eraser burst through the clearing, I ran once more…out of options. Out of ideas. Out of hope. As if someone had flicked a switch, my chest suddenly ached, my legs weakened substantially, and my lungs ignited with a fierce pain. I swallowed, my throat burning angrily. It was getting harder and harder to breathe. Wait…what's that? Squinting hard, I noticed a hole in the fortified fence. Pushing harder, I kept going…_I was going to make it! I'm gonna make it!_

_CRACK_. I didn't have a chance to see a blur out of the corner of my eye. The force knocked me off my feet, and sent me rolling across the dirt. Whimpering, I hobbled weakly one arm…my entire right went completely numb. I could taste blood as it flooded my mouth and poured from my nose. _CRACK_. Something whizzed through the air and clubbed my side. The blow pinned me down, leaving me gasping like a fish out of water as I rolled onto my unhurt side. I didn't need a doctor to know that a few of my ribs had broken. On instinct, I held one hand outstretched to block my assailant, who slapped it away, thwacking me on the leg with his club.

"Thought you could escape, huh?!" A hand grasped me by my hair, pulling me up. Out of my un-swollen eye, I could see it was…him. I might as well introduce you, to Corvin; Dog Boy as I prefer to call him. However, I could never tell you why he hated me so much, even I don't have the answer. As long as I can remember, he's always hated me, always wanted me dead…by his own hand personally. In all honesty, I don't think I'll ever again meet someone with so much bloodlust lurking within them. Even the bat crazy white coats, they looked like fluffy kittens compared to the malice this…this man possessed. And who of course did he choose to channel it to? Why, lucky me of course!

I was too weak to shout; instead I stared at the maw full of hideous yellow knives. Was it a bad time to upchuck because of his rancid breath? Corvin's eyes glowed with fury. "I'll make sure you feel every ounce of agony, 'cause once I finish there'll be nothing left to salvage." He sputtered wrathfully placing the barrel of a gun right at the center of my abdomen. As his finger curled around the trigger, another found rest at his temple.

"I said. We need it alive." The coldness of her voice froze the fury in Corvin, who paused, "NOW." She bellowed; after several long seconds of silence, he dropped the barrel and threw me to the ground. Eyeing him bravely, she glowered, "It is not to be killed. Just because of your disdain." Corvin said nothing for a brief amount of time…when he did, it was enough to send some of the other Erasers cowering back,

"I will mutilate her one day. And when I do…I'll make sure you see it happen. Don't think that this changes anything…so I suggest you watch your scrawny ass. **'****Cause I'll be comin' for you next**." My eyelids flickered to Devil Woman who stood just as strongly as before, watching them as they shrank back into the wood. Several whitecoats appeared, surrounding me.

"Secure the facility, and make sure this thing wakes up in a stasis tube." I saw blurred shadows reaching for me…no. _No, I couldn't go back!_ I reached my hands out…  
"No…please, I'm not going back. You can't take me away!" I cried weakly, tears staining my face as someone began to move me to a stretcher.

"She's growing unstable! Stick her now!" My vision began to glow as a rush of emotions surged, everything began to grow colder…the wind began howl, swirling around me as…as I began to glow.

"It's losing control! Take shelter! Run! Take-**AGGHHH**!" Cries and screams surrounded me as everything grew brighter and colder…

There was an explosion…

And then…there was dead silence.

As my consciousness vanished…

A peculiar shadow loomed over me…

Then…there was **darkness**.


	4. Survival

Hissing in a breath, I flexed my weak muscles, clenched my jaw tight and began to writhe more vehemently. With every twist and turn and all the strength I could muster, however, turned against me as the rough coils tightened. To the very point that I could feel warm blood flow steadily along my arms and feet. It hurt, and I could feel the fire in me simmer to glowing embers. I wanted to die right then and there, wishing some all-powerful being would smite me 'til there was nothing left to be smote. When no lightning bolts or spiked maces crashed through the ceiling, I slammed my head back and howled in anguish. Struggling all the more. Without a doubt those freaks in the white coats were huddled behind some one way mirror sniggering. I could feel my blood begin to boil as I held my breath for several moments. Exasperated beyond anything, I finally exhaled without a plan or even a clue as to how I would escape. Then, something stirred slowly within the very depths of my soul, clouding my thoughts, and flooding my body with intensity. _I…I can't…_ but the temptation was too much…this could be my only way of getting out…of surviving. There were voices, footsteps...and they were coming this way. _No. No not now! Please not now…let me live._

"We must begin the final phase; otherwise we risk it going completely critical!" I knew that voice anywhere, Queen Psycho, Leader of the Mentally Freaking Insane. Of course she was shadowed by several of her lapdogs; and they all halted, right outside those reinforced doors. My heart reached a crescendo of beats, making my blood sing in adrenaline wired terror and my body rattle the table. _I can't lose control again…but…it's the only…I must…_

I couldn't breathe, was it just me or had the room suddenly dropped by a number of degrees? My breath was visible, I could still hear their voices, but not as distinct as before…almost distant; mosquito whines of sadist intent. The room continued to grow colder, and the rims of my vision began to darken. "Hurry! It's reaching critically unstable levels!" Clinks of locks and scraping metal…

_Too late._ I felt as though I would faint, tunnel vision and everything. Suddenly, the darkness brightened to a brilliant blue, blocking everything else except what was in front of me…that opening door. Shuddering, I closed my eyes, lurching forward as an untamable force of energy rushed through my body. I could hear slick crackling throughout the room as ice began to invade every surface. A feral growl bubbled to my lips as I jerked at the restraints, which had frozen solid. Focusing on the coils, I narrowed my eyes, channeling the ice to each one. The metal itself began to glow, the cold sharply increasing until…it shattered. One, two, another, and another, even the clamps…the very things that shackled me down were shards and splinters in every direction. I slipped off the table, tucked my injured wing in and turned to the door, which might I add; was still open and crowded with gaping, dumbfounded whitecoats. All except one, the Devil woman, who scowled in fury.

"What are you idiots standing around gaping like fish for?! Close the damned DOORS!"  
There was mad rush of action, I dashing towards the doors, everybody else to shut them. I slipped on the ice before colliding with the steel doors. _They had closed._

"RRRGGGHHHH! NO!" I cried, banging on the doors until bruises lined my arms. Resting my head, I closed my eyes once more and focused.

"Initiate lockdown protocols! We will NOT let this thing escape." A wind began to blow around me, whispering through my feathers and rattling the metal captors. It began to howl as it picked up speed. Snowflakes swirled, dancing through the air and clinging to whatever they landed on. A soft ripple of crackles startled me out of my stance, and the steel door was covered in a sheet of frost. I shifted my hands and pressed harder; ice rocketed in every direction of the door's surface. I could hear the steel begin to groan and felt it waver as the cold escalated. It glowed and suddenly…exploded. I yelped and jumped back as humongous shards of metal screamed by, several slicing my skin. It wasn't just me that was in the way of the rectangular blade either. A few scientists were slumped against the wall, blood stains expanding on their pristine white clothes. I couldn't tell if they were unconscious or dead, but I wasn't sticking around to figure it out. Wiping the blood from my right cheek, I folded my other wing in and made a run for it. Patches of frost suffused whatever surface I came in contact with. Red lights flashed angrily and alarms screeched in every direction, I hadn't the slightest clue where I was going; this way and that, I turned down every corridor, burst through every door. Like a bird out of its cage, I searched in desperation for a way out of this place. As if my luck couldn't worsen, the thundering crashes of a much larger…er several much larger beasts echoed just behind me. Grating voices echoed closely...

"There she goes! Don't let her get away!" roared a voice belonging to nothing other than the lupine human hybrids. Everybody referred to them as 'Erasers'…a fitting name for something so big, burly, and merciless. I dared a backwards glance; eight of them, armed with handguns and mouthfuls of hideous yellow knives barreled in my direction. Yikes. Panting hard, I ran harder, I ran faster. They were gaining ground. _Quick! Think fast, think cold, think ice…think shards! Think!_ I raised my arm, which grew cold with remarkable rapidity, turned, and swiped through the air like a knife. The still air erupted with a snap as large ice shards whistled from my hand. Some of the Erasers were quick to notice and dodged the fierce missiles, others…not so reactive. Snarls and yowls broke above the noise as two, three Erasers tumbled clutching either their shoulders or chests or other extremities. A couple skid to halt shouting to their fallen comrades, the rest continuing hot pursuit. I don't think someone could fume with so much rage and bloodlust. Apparently they can.

"YOU PATHETIC LITTLE CRETIN! I'LL WRING YOUR SCRAWNY LITTLE NECK!" A bullet hissed past my ear. I was feeling a little taunting. I twisted and hollered back,

"Oh yeah? Why don't you try and catch me first, dog breath?" The pack leader's, at last I assumed that's who he was, face darkened with sheer malice. His lip curling, he was picking up his speed too. Okay, enough taunting.

_Run, run, run, run! I've just been granted my death wish._ My heart thumped with gradually heightened pace, and I swerved over yet another hopeless turn…I swiped behind me once more, unleashing a second icy blast of shards. Another howled and hit the ground with a heavy thud. Something whizzed past me, I felt hot breath on the back of my neck. And suddenly, something hot and painful sliced over my left leg, I cried out, losing my footing, somersaulting, and finally sliding to a halt. I lay paralyzed with shock as Dog Boy bounded over to me, smiling with sickening satisfaction. Overcoming the surprise, I rolled over and hopped to my unhurt leg, eyes narrowed to slits. The Eraser chuckled menacingly,

"End of the line, meatsack." He spoke, standing to his rather large height of eight feet and cracking his furry knuckles. "I'm gonna enjoy rippin' you to bits. But don't worry, I'll snap your neck so you don't feel a thing-"

"That's enough!" Barked a familiar female voice; I heavily rolled my eyes with annoyance. I preferred the meaningless threats from Dog boy. "We need it…alive for now. It's ability's more valuable than your life ever will be." She hissed threateningly, jabbing a finger into Dog boy's barreled chest. At first, I thought he would lay waste to her, but instead scowled and backed away. My back straightened, I pressed my lips together to conceal the stinging pain in my left calf muscle as blood steadily poured…dripping onto the floor.

"I'm not an **'****It'**." I snapped angrily; most of the scientists jumped back with collective gasps. Ignoring them, I inhaled and continued…"I'm a she, a person. A more humane individual than _**you**_." Every word clattered to the floor like fallen icicles, my wings flaring slightly. The lady's eyes flickered slightly, but she remained as calm and firm like stone.

"No, you're an object, an experiment…a thing if you more or less. You belong to us until you're of no more proper use." She intoned without remorse or even emotion for that matter. But I wasn't about to let them win. Not if my life depended on it. "You will come with us without a fight, or you will suffer severe consequences." For a moment, I was struggling to retain my laughter. Furrowing my brow, I glared with so much ferocity that I swore she flinched.

"You speak with words, but just like them, you're as meaningless and non-threatening as your spectacled **pets**." I injected as much venom into my voice as I could muster, ignoring the pain and the light-headedness from loss of blood. I slowly reached behind me and grasped the door handle, palms sweating. "And I will _**never**_ let you take me." Before the slightest reaction, before anyone could blink, breathe, or let alone move; I yanked the door with all my might, and slammed it shut. The surface freezing over with my touch, sacrificing what little energy I had…

Panting, I turned, feeling the wind against my face…rustle the leaves, and dance with the grass. I was outside…and then I was running. My arms pumped, legs strode, lungs working and heart thumping. _I was alive…I was free…_

_**But not for long.**_


End file.
